1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a gas lighter such as a disposable gas lighter and a rechargeable gas lighter and, more particularly, to a structural improvement of an ignition unit of such a gas lighter for prevention of safety accidents, such as a fire, caused by unconscious operation of the gas lighter ignition unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent times, the gas lighters such as disposable gas lighters and rechargeable gas lighters are widely used for their convenience and low cost. However, these lighters have a problem in that they may cause a safety accident such as a fire particularly when they are carelessly operated such as by a child playing with them.
As well known to those skilled in the art, a conventional gas lighter, that is, a disposable gas lighter or a rechargeable gas lighter, comprises a lighter body including a fuel tank charged with liquidized gas fuel. A gas nozzle is provided on the top section of the lighter body such that it communicates with the fuel tank. This nozzle is pulled upward in order to open a gas outlet of the fuel tank and ejects the gas. In order to pull the nozzle upward, an ignition lever is provided on the top section of the lighter body such that it is levered about its hinged support. A knurled rolling shaft is rotatably mounted on the top section of the lighter body at a position near the distal end of the nozzle. This knurled rolling shaft is provided with thumb operable rolling flanges at its opposed side ends. The rolling shaft and the pair of rolling flanges are assembled into a single body or an ignition roller unit. The rolling shaft is rotated by rotating the rolling flanges by a thumb. Biased upward and toward the knurled rolling shaft by a coil spring at a position just below the rolling shaft is a lighter flint. When the knurled rolling shaft is rotated, the lighter flint elastically frictionally contacting with the knurled outer surface of the rolling shaft is scratched by the rolling shaft and generates sparks which are to fly to the gas ejected from the nozzle and to ignite the gas.
Briefly described, in order to use the conventional gas lighter, the knurled rolling shaft is rotated by rotating the thumb operable rolling flanges so that the lighter flint frictionally contacting with the rolling shaft generates the sparks. At the same time of generation of the sparks, the thumb operable ignition lever is levered down in order to open the nozzle and to eject the gas from the nozzle, thus to ignite the gas by the sparks.
However, the conventional gas lighter has no safety device for prevention of unconscious operations of the ignition unit of the lighter, which operations are caused by, for example, a careless operation or the ignition unit and an operation by a child playing with the lighter. Hence, the conventional gas lighter may cause a safety accident such as a fire.
That is, in the conventional gas lighter having no safety device, there is no limit in rotating the ignition roller unit and ignition of gas. In this regard, the conventional gas lighter may be left as it can be carelessly ignited particularly by a child without limitation and, as a result, may cause a safety accident such as a fire. Otherwise stated, when the child playing with the gas lighter rotates the ignition roller unit while pressing down the ignition lever, the lighter flint inevitably generates the sparks and ignites the gas ejected from the nozzle, thus easily causing safety accident such as a fire.